Surfing Waves

While evolving from beginning surfers to intermediate, we face problems that cost us dearly in time, money and most of all FUN. What do you think is the worst mistake and how can we avoid it?

Here’s a list to get things started:

*Being too proud to take a lesson.
*Board selection – Going too small, too soon. It’s always the board’s fault.
*Paddling and popup fitness – Not being in shape.
*Knowing the right spot at the right time - Forecasting/break knowledge/wave reading/etiquette
*Board control - Trimming, carving, wiping out safely
*Taking it too seriously – I try to ride most waves for pure enjoyment with a small percent for pushing new skills and a micro percent to scare myself sh!#less!

Not going to Bali to see Alana Blanchard surf, (she's in Chungu? or something) (livefeed on Facebook maybe Canghu?)

Not watching enough youtube surf instruction videos, you're missing out on a lot of tips if you are not taking lessons.

Not getting yourself on video and critiqued - no excuse nowadays with cheap goPro - like cameras.

pmcaero wrote:Not watching enough youtube surf instruction videos.

A lot of those Youtube instructional videos just make me cringe, especially the board repair, pop up and noseriding ones. Like they say, "if it's posted on the internet, then it must be true" - far from true.

Surfing for me has been an entirely rewarding experience. No real downside to it. I didn't take lessons, I don't try to figure out which break to go to when and instead surf on a schedule at the same place, I get custom made boards made for me by someone who knows more about boards than me, I don't worry about what other people think of my surfing, I enjoy it. I am probably entirely different from all of you in many aspects of surfing but I grew up in the ocean. My only regret is quitting surfing for 12 years that and not going to Bali to watch Alana Blanchard surf (also Jack Freestone and Taj Burrow)

Worst Mistake ? ...........Trying to take my girlfriend surfing.

But seriously, trying to help kook beginner-intermediates learn the rules of surfing, when they get in your way or drop-in. Best to just paddle away because "you can't argue with stupidity." You just be wasting your time and waves.

One of the worst I would say here is people who are out over their heads (literally)....waves are good here and it's tough to learn since you need to mix it up with more experienced surfers at some point.....particularly on days with smaller to medium sized waves I regularly see people out in lineups that aren't doing anything more than hanging onto their boards and floating around....whether it is that the conditions are too much for them, or that they can't position themselves, or what happens more often is that better surfers go deeper so they just can't get a wave.....regardless, it creates frustration and alot of human traffic that almost always spills over into kooky drop ins and a bit of mayhem.....bigger waves sorts this out, but during the off season those bigger days are few and far between......

Another one would be those that have zero consideration or awareness for what is going on around them.......that translates to not looking to see who is on the wave when they go to take a wave, no regard for board control or safety of others around them (throwing their boards in a crowd when a wave comes and diving down, riding into a crowd of kids on a beach break and wiping out sending their board flying around in the group of kids, etc), riding the wrong way on a clearly breaking wave with a defined peak (not a fat wishy washy wave that isn't really breaking that you can ride as a left or a right, talking about those waves that are definitely a right or a left that a person rides against the grain in a crowd, causing near or actual collisions every time with surfers who are taking off from the peak and riding the right direction).............zero consideration or awareness can extend to a lack of knowledge of etiquette and the written and unwritten rules of the lineup.....

Someone posted a video on the local buy and sell Facebook page the other day......it was a question regarding etiquette and dropping in......the range of replies was remarkable and only pointed to a general lack of knowledge and consensus. Going to start another thread on that.

Not getting out of bed early enough to avoid the afternoon onshore blowout. I wish i lived closer to the beach.

waikikikichan wrote:A lot of those Youtube instructional videos just make me cringe, especially the board repair, pop up and noseriding ones.

Yikes! I watch these all the time to keep my stoke going between between surfs. (Surf Pro Techniques and Surf Simply) Is there a source you recommend?

Big H wrote:Another one would be those that have zero consideration or awareness for what is going on around them.......that translates to not looking to see who is on the wave when they go to take a wave.

This is not an easy skill to master because there are so many variables...SUPs, boogie boards, long boards, short boards and riders with very different abilities. I make a 360 pan of the lineup before taking off and don't go if others are going for the same wave, sitting in front of me or paddling in my way. This is a luxury Big H does not have in Bali!

I still have trouble with SUPs because they are so fast on the wave. Sometimes they appear at a safe distance when I decide to GO then quickly catch up and I have to apologize and kickout.

If you aren't hurting anyone or getting hurt then mistakes made in the lineup are without consequence except for people complaining about it and hardly qualify as the worst mistakes

Not staying put in a certain spot and going with the rip current, you'll end up being thrown a few hundred meters offcourse, especially those with bad vision, it's a bad idea.

Also a tip for beginners like me if you have an instructor don't hesitate to ask them after every wave you catch what you did wrong, it helps you improve very quickly.

BoMan wrote:

Big H wrote:Another one would be those that have zero consideration or awareness for what is going on around them.......that translates to not looking to see who is on the wave when they go to take a wave.

This is not an easy skill to master because there are so many variables...SUPs, boogie boards, long boards, short boards and riders with very different abilities. I make a 360 pan of the lineup before taking off and don't go if others are going for the same wave, sitting in front of me or paddling in my way. This is a luxury Big H does not have in Bali!

I still have trouble with SUPs because they are so fast on the wave. Sometimes they appear at a safe distance when I decide to GO then quickly catch up and I have to apologize and kickout.

Yeah....it takes a little time to get the hang of....necessary skill if you want to get waves and there is competition....here it is common for several to paddle for the same.wave then pull off once the deepest is up. If we didnt we would get a fraction of the waves we do.

One of my mistakes was, believe it or not, oversurfing. There were just so many good days that I never gave my body a chance to just rebuild all the muscle I was tearing down during my exhausting, though always enjoyable, surf sessions. I'm amazed at how much better I surf when I come back from some days off.

RinkyDink wrote:One of my mistakes was, believe it or not, oversurfing. There were just so many good days that I never gave my body a chance to just rebuild all the muscle I was tearing down during my exhausting, though always enjoyable, surf sessions. I'm amazed at how much better I surf when I come back from some days off.

I surf one day and one day off when the weather is good and if I 'm going with family after a session the day before I just take a pain killer and go with them, is what I'm doing good for my muscles (not talking about the painkiller session)